Product Details

• Actors: Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera, Seth Rogen, Martin Starr, Derek Waters
• Directors: Nicholas Jasenovec
• Format: Color, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• DVD Release Date: December 1, 2009
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002QW7AKS
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,444 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Paper Heart [Blu-ray]" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A creatively self-conscious comedy that is part real documentary and part, well, something else, Paper Heart begins as an inquiry by artist and comedian Charlyne Yi into the nature of love. Working closely with pal and director Nicholas Jasenovec, Yi travels the U.S. looking for anyone who will talk to her about their experiences with or perspectives about love. Along the way, she meets some wonderful people, including older folks, children, and even a celebrity (Seth Rogen) or two. But nothing shakes Yi's skepticism that there is such a thing as permanent, romantic love until actor Michael Cera (Juno) stumbles into her on-camera life. Shy but curious about one another, Cera and Yi cautiously hook up, troubled by the omnipresence of Jasenovec and his crew but unable to get free of Yi's agreement to allow everything to be filmed. The very pressure under which they try to make their simmering relationship work becomes the test Yi needs to believe that love is real--or, at least, cleverly scripted. It's hard to know exactly where the line is between documentary and fiction in this film, but in a way it doesn't matter. A point or two is made, and the audience gets to enjoy Yi's cardboard-cutout puppetry. --Tom Keogh

Stills from Paper Heart  (Click for larger image)

Product Description

Charlyne Yi does not believe in love. Or so she says. Well, at the very least, she doesn’t believe in fairy-tale love or the Hollywood mythology of love, and her own experiences have turned her into yet another modern-day skeptic.

Follow Charlyne across America as she and her good friend (and director) Nicholas Jasenovec search for answers and advice about love, by talking with friends and strangers, scientists, bikers, romance novelists, and children. They each offer diverse views on modern romance, as well as various answers to the age-old question: does true love really exist? Charlyne’s pursuit to discover the nature of love takes on a fresh new urgency when she meets a boy after her own heart: Michael Cera. As their relationship develops on camera, her pursuit risks losing the person she finds closest to her heart.

Combining elements of documentary and traditional storytelling, reality and fantasy, Paper Heart brings a fresh perspective to the modern romance and redefines the classic love story.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What part of hybrid documentary do you NOT understand???, September 18, 2009

By	Anthony James (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Heart [Theatrical Release] (Theatrical Release)

As a general rule, I don't read reviews of anything or pay any attention to critics (even internet-nobody critics like myself). To paraphrase the great Henry Rollins, the vast majority of 'em are not worth the food they're fed. I must confess, however, that had it not been for a couple of movie critics on TV (names obviously withheld) that I happened to catch in passing, I would never have found out about either Paper Heart or the weird and wonderful world of Charlyne Yi, Paper Heart's star/co-creator/co-writer. So for that, I thank those critics in question. And that's where my use for 'em ends.

Most of the criticism levelled at Paper Heart that I'm aware of has to do with it not being a "true" documentary (though Charlyne and director/co-creator/co-writer Nicholas Jasenovec themselves have CLEARLY stated in many interviews that it is, in fact, a "hybrid documentary" that, according to the official Paper Heart website, "combines elements of documentary and traditional storytelling, reality and fantasy to bring a fresh perspective to the modern romance and redefines the classic love story") and the relationship between Charlyne Yi and co-star Michael Cera not actually being real (please refer to my parenthesesed remarks immediately preceding these parenthesesed remarks). I'm not exactly sure what all of these critics are not understanding but it's pretty apparent that as usual, they just don't get it.

I personally believe that Paper Heart beautifully succeeds as the hybrid documentary that it is and totally fits the definition of it above. Charlyne Yi is an extremely fascinating young newcomer with a smile that can light up a room and truckloads of charm to boot. I look forward to seeing MUCH more of her in the future. Michael Cera is Michael Cera and there's certainly nothing wrong with that, as the success of both Superbad and Juno have clearly proven. Jake Johnson deserves special mention for his dry and understated performance as the director, Nicholas Jasenovec (natch). I also eagerly await his upcoming work. Also worth mentioning are the adorable little vignettes interspersed throughout the film where real people talk about their experiences being in love and their stories are told via charming as hell two-dimensional puppets created by, you guessed it, the charming as hell Charlyne Yi. The soundtrack, composed primarily by Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi (with help from many other talented and gifted songwriters/musicians), is the icing on the cake and provides a terrific listening experience on it's own.

Paper Heart is a very witty and entertaining film. I highly recommend it.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One of the worst movies ever, December 4, 2009

By	Scott Yanoff (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Paper Heart (DVD)

First off, let me just say that I "get" the movie. I understand the faux documentary style, the fact that part or all of it is scripted, etc. It just didn't work. The movie starts off documenting Yi's journey to find the meaning of love, but her vignettes didn't really capture enough interest. Perhaps it's because those were the unscripted parts, but I found them akin to the interludes in "When Harry Met Sally" with that movie having done them in a funny yet touching way. Along the way, she meets Michael Cera, who was the only bright spot in the movie, even if he's essentially playing in a style similar to other roles he's had ("Juno", "Arrested Development"). His character was at least likeable, whereas I found Charlene Yi to be rather annoying. Yi was just giggly, immature, and just not a captivating screen presence. Her (or her character) seemed wishy-washy and flaky. I couldn't relate or sympathize with her in any way.

The interludes in this movie also included some homegrown cardboard-cutout animation. I'll admit it was cute and different, and really would have amped up a much better movie. There was nothing laugh-out-loud funny in this movie, and as for touching, well Yi and Cera just have no onscreen chemistry. The movie is thankfully only 88 minutes long, but I actually found myself fast-forwarding about halfway through just to get to the "relationship" parts between Yi and Cera just to see how that played out. The movie aims for a "HEA" ending, or happily-ever-after ending, but because the camera is suddenly shunned from recording their lives, the audience is never shown what transpires to bring about the alleged happy ending. It felt disjointed and uneven. Even if this aimless movie attempted to be a character study, as that is all some movies ever are, it failed in that respect with thin, unappealing characters. Don't let the fact that the cast list includes Seth Rogen and Martin Starr fool you. The fractions of a minute that any of Yi's fellow comedians are onscreen isn't worth the price of admission.

3.0 out of 5 stars Did' Quite Get it, March 18, 2010

By	Edward C. Patterson (Allentown, PA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: Paper Heart (DVD)

(What's this?)

I know this was suppose to be a documentary, but I was lost, and it left me cold. Three stars for effort.